Hooper not even best wallaby 7 with Smith and pocock superior.
Jones, McCaw and dussitoir ahead of him too.
London Irish ejected from Premiership after US takeover falls through
The London Irish amateur club still compete at level 6
Expand
London Irish are the third Premiership club in nine months to dissolve financially. Photograph: PA
Robert Kitson
Tue Jun 6 2023 - 20:53
The shrinking map of English professional club rugby has lost another familiar name following London Irishâs formal ejection from the Premiership. The Exiles are the third Premiership club in nine months to dissolve financially, reducing the Englandâs flagship league to 10 teams and leaving around 100 players and staff jobless.
As widely anticipated, the mooted US consortium failed to complete their proposed takeover of the club by the deadline of 4pm on Tuesday, triggering the clubâs removal from the English league pyramid.
The London Irish amateur club still compete at level 6, however, so the 125-year-old club identity will not entirely vanish.
It has prompted the Rugby Football Union to warn that the finances of professional rugby in England need fundamental reform. âWe currently contribute ÂŁ25m to the Premiership each year but cannot continue to invest in failing business models,â the RFU chairman, Tom Ilube, said. âThat means tough investment decisions. All three clubs that have failed this season have had fragile business models for many years.â
READ MORE
The Counter Ruck: the new rugby newsletter from The Irish Times
London Irish ejected from Premiership after US takeover falls through
Former Munster boss Rob Penney appointed as head coach at Crusaders
London Irish expected to be suspended from English Premiership on Tuesday
The RFU also made clear it wanted to provide âclarityâ to other Premiership sides but the unionâs chief executive, Bill Sweeney, acknowledged it was another grim day for the sport. âThis is desperately sad news for everyone who is part of the London Irish community as well as all the players, fans, staff and volunteers for whom this club means so much,â Sweeney said.
He stressed, however, that the decision followed six months of ultimately doomed takeover talks, with players and staff still waiting for 50 per cent of their May salaries. The club have also been served with a winding up petition by HM Revenue and Customs for unpaid tax.
ADVERTISEMENT
Irishâs demise means, among other things, that Bristol Bears will now feature in next seasonâs European Champions Cup despite having finished ninth in last seasonâs Premiership. It also leaves Irishâs players in an unenviable position, with other Premiership club rosters for next season pretty much full and the salary cap not due to rise from ÂŁ5m to ÂŁ6.4m until the 2024-25 season.
Some players will switch to other Premiership sides, with the England squad members Henry Arundell and Tom Pearson both coveted by Bath, but a number of their teammates face an uncertain future.
It could even force several individuals to reassess professional rugby as a career, with few gaps left in French Top 14 rosters and the market for out-of-contract players already saturated following the demise of Wasps and Worcester.
A hardship fund has been announced by the RFU and Premiership Rugby to offer support to affected players but it will not ease the heartache of those for whom Irish has been less a rugby club than a glorious state of mind. The attack-minded team finished fifth last season and boasted one of the best academies in the country, which the RFU says it will now take over if necessary.
There is also the small matter of the clubâs training headquarters in Sunbury-on-Thames that hosts the clubâs amateur section. London Irish amateurs have a 15-year lease to play at the clubâs Hazelwood complex but the land is owned by London Irish Holdings, who were one of the companies named in the winding up petition served to the clubâs officials last week by HMRC.
The professional arm of the club, however, is now defunct, with debts in the region of ÂŁ30m. As with Wasps and Worcester the blame lies with multiple individuals and organisations, many of whom have been living in denial. Signing the former Wallaby lock Adam Coleman, a decent player but not a world-beater, on a reported ÂŁ900,000-a-year salary represented a huge punt in 2019-20 and looks even crazier now.
ADVERTISEMENT
The clubâs lengthy spell in Reading also diverted them from their core support in London and, more recently, Brentford FC were not keen to extend the Exilesâ stay at the Gtech Community Stadium. While supporters enjoyed the atmosphere at the clubâs new âhomeâ many felt there was insufficient marketing to try and woo floating local fans.
It leaves the entire English game at a crossroads with several other clubs struggling under the weight of Covid loan repayments and, as yet, no agreement on how the second-tier Championship fits with any reorganised Premiership. The existing model is clearly broken, with the government having already announced it is stepping in to help the RFU and Premiership Rugby to work towards âsustainability in the professional gameâ.
In a statement, London Irish acknowledged the suspension for 2023/24 and despite everything insisted âthe club continues to remain in active discussions with the RFU as to any circumstances that may result in the suspension being liftedâ.
The French club Grenoble, meanwhile, have been relegated to the third tier of their countryâs league structure and given a six-point deduction next season for financial reasons. The club have lodged an appeal. - Guardian
Very disappointing. No sugar daddy no party
Always thought the irfu should have tried to get involved with them. Surplus of players in Ireland and might be easier to get players to go to London for a season or two.
1 Like
Yeah would have been interesting approach alright
Might be easier for the national coaches to get involved over there too.
I do think Ireland are a little hindered by the way the players are distributed. As an example the five last lads to be picked as potential ten for Ireland are split between Munster and Leinster. Then you have Ben Healy joining Scotland. It doesnât make much sense at times.
Thereâd have been war from a Connacht perspective. There was a real sense until the likes of Conor Oliver, Josh Murphy and Peter Dooley were sent West that they were still being seriously underfunded.
Even if it did happen theyâd probably still be losing all the same players to D2. It takes serious money even to keep a Bedford Blues level outfit afloat.
The championship clubs are a basket case as well. Youâd be much better off financially going down the leagues in France even into 3rd of 4th tier
1 Like
Fair enough but even an agreement to 5 send players or something could have been benefited both hugely imo.
I think both nz and Australias club games lost an edge the way players were almost rotating between clubs the same thing could happen in Ireland too.
Unreal life style too isnât it?
1 Like
The stories youâd hear from lads that were in Biarritz after their drop down a few years back would make you fierce jealous. Only for family reasons most would never leave even after retiring.
2 Likes
Id say youâd have a lovely lifestyle in a lot of places alright. Rugby probably a slog at that level maybe youâd want your wits about you but good money for a few years anyway
I see there on Twitter L Irish were apparently paying Adam Coleman the Aussie lock 900k a year. Thatâs fucking mental. Id guess itâs at least double what Snyman is gettingâŚcloser to 3 times
Is James Coughlan still out there ?
Thats if they actually got paid, its not uncommon for pro D2 clubs to be broke mid season and struggling to pay the wage bill
1 Like
Defence coach with Toulon
Will English clubs join with URC?
Some of amount of Irish coaches doing well now.
1 Like
Doubtful for the foreseeable. The English clubs losing leverage by the day. Only the Welsh would welcome them with open arms
I find this laughable when people come out with it. They canât properly resource Connacht not get players to move between provinces. How are they going to get players who are down the pecking order to move to London and how would they pay them enough. There arenât that many players either. Itâs pie in the sky stuff.